TechBytes: YouTube Redesign
In TechBytes, YouTube's new look, buy Starbucks with iPhones, a new robot.
April 1, 2010— -- YouTube is getting a new look. The video sharing site is cleaning up its pages and getting rid of some of the clutter in an effort to keep you watching more videos. Some of the changes include reducing the number of links on playback pages, hiding some information and new controls to adjust the size and quality of the video. YouTube is also replacing its five-star rating system with a simple "like" or "dislike" button.
Starbucks Mobile Payments
Starbucks is making it easier for iPhone owners to pay for their coffee without using cash or a credit card. The coffee chain says it's now taking iPhone app payments in over 1,000 Target stores nationwide. Starbucks initially released the app in September, but it only worked at 16 of its stores in Seattle and Silicon Valley.
Towel-Folding Robot
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a robot to help around the house. They've programmed it to fold towels. It picks them up, twists them around to find a corner, finds another corner and folds the towel using the edge of a table. Unfortunately, the process is slow. It takes about 25 minutes per towel and the robot doesn't do the dishes or mop the floor.
Google's New Name
Google has decided to change its name. You may remember last month, the mayor of Topeka, Kansas, changed the city's name to Google in hopes Google would build a super-fast broadband network there. Now the company is honoring that gesture by officially changing its name to Topeka. The company says the proper way to use the new name is to say, "Before our blind date, I did a Topeka search on him." For your first Topeka search, we suggest: April Fool's.
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